Variable-speed gearing.



E. W. CLEVELAND.

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1913.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' Lgi mum! H ""HHH llll L Uimsssss eM (owns EDGAR W. CLEVELAND, F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

VARIABLE-SPEED GEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 29, 1913. Serial No. 787,288.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDGAR V. CLEVELAND, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids in the coimty of 7 Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Gearing; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in variable speed gearing and particularly adapted for multiple spindle drills, and its object is to provide a device in which the separate spindles may be rotated at different speeds; in which any or all of the spindles may remain idle while the driving member rotates; to provide a device simple and compact in construction, and to provide the same with various novel features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter morefully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

It is often desirable in multiple spindle drills to rotate the various spindles at different speeds, as for instance, when drills of different sizes are used, and it often occurs that all of the spindles are not used and it is desirable to allow certain spindles to remain idle while the others rotate. I accomplish these desirable objects in the form of my invention shown by a series of main driving gears rotated at different speeds by a common driving shaft, and each spindle shaft is provided with a longitudinally movable pinion adapted to mesh separately with any one, of said gears or to be moved and retained between the gears in inoperative position.

This invention also embodies various novel and useful features, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred construction and arrangement of a device embodying by invention, in which drawings horizontal section von the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures. 1 is the head of a multiple spindle drill ing machine, preferably cylindrical in shape and attached in the usual way to the frame of the machine. A main driving shaft 2 is 1ournaled in the axis of said head, its upper end projecting therefrom and provided with a driving pulley 3, to which it iskeyed as at 4. The hub 5 of the said pulley extends into a boss 1 on the head and is journaled therein, thus supporting the upper endof theshaft 2. The lower end of said shaft is provided with an axial opening to receive a stud 6, which is integral with a pedestal 7 attached to the lower end of the head 1 and projecting upward in the axis thereof. This stud 6 forms a bearing for the lower end of the shaft 2. The shaft 2 has keyed to its lower end a driving gear 8 which constitutes the positive or direct driving gear of the series. A sleeve 9 surrounds the shaft 2 and is retained non-rotative by means of a pin 10 at its upper end and is provided at its lower end with a gear 11, preferably formed integral therewith. A gear 12 provided with both external and internal teeth surrounds the stationary gear 11 and is spaced away fromthe same and is attached to the lower .end of a hub 13 which surrounds the sleeve 9 and rotates thereon. Pinions H are journaled on studs 15 mounted upon the main driving gear 8 and these pinions mesh both with the stationary gear 11 and with the internal teeth of the rotating gear 12. This train of gears constitutes aplanetary gear system deriving its power from the main gear 8 and driving the gear 12 at a greater velocity than the main gear. A fixed gear 16 is provided on the pedestal 7 and a gear 17 having internal and external teeth surrounds the said fixed gear 16 and its hub 18 rotates upon the said pedestal 7. Pinions 19 are interposed be-.

tween the gear 16 and the internal teeth Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

. pitch diameter of each of these gears is the same. I Surrounding the gears8, 12 and 17 area series of vertical shafts 20 journaled in the head and having their lower ends projecting therethrough and each connected by universal joints 21 to a *shaft 22,- to drive the drill spindles (not shown). Upon each shaft 20 a-pinion 23 is splined by means of? a sliding key 24, and each ofthese gears is adapted to be shifted longitudinally upon the shaft into mesh with'either of the'driving gears 8', 12 and 17. or it may be adjusted in any space betweenthe said gears and out of engagement therewith, and thus the pinion, together with its.shaft, will remain idle.

.Each's'haft-is surrounded above the pinion by a sleeve and'the key 24 isslidable in away in the shaft and has at its upper end an outward projection 24 which traverses an annular groove on the interior of said sleeve. 2 The lower end of the key is provided with a similar outward projection f which engages the underside of the pinion,

and thus the pinion is rotatablyv connected to the sleeve 25. Each sleeve 25 is-provided on its outer surface with a series of" annugaged positions.

lar grooves 26 so spaced that each will be successively engaged by a spring actuated ball 27 located in the head 1 or the pur ose of retaining the pinion 23 in any one o the 'positions where it will properly mesh with the desired gear 'or 'in either of its disen- The sleeves 25 always'project through the 3 upper end of the head 1 and may be grasped by any convenient tool to be, move 7 desired position. Figs. ,3 and 4 illustrate a Y the sleeve and provided with projections 31 'to enter the annular grooves 26 therein. It I is obvious that byplacingthis lever in the to the desirable tool for. this purpose, ,which consists of a lever 28 havin 'a fulcrum 29 and a, bifurcated end 30 a apted to embrace position illustrated in Fig. 3 with the'projections 31 within an annular groove in the sleeve 25, that depressing the outer end of 1 the lever will pry the sleeve upward a distance equal to the space between two of the annular grooves. Byrepeatingthis opera-I tion the sleeve may be raised to the desired position, and by engagin the lever with the pulley the sleeve may' be owered.

It will be seen that in the above describe mechanism I have provided three superimposed driving gears rotating about a common axis, each with the same pitch diameter,

but each having different s eeds of rotation.- This enables the drill 'spin' le driving shafts to be rouped as oloselg as desired about the said ivin gears an the movement from any one 0 said gears to be transmitted through the slidable pinion 23 to itsrespectiveshaft' Y Q The construction ofthe device is simple,

- rotating said gears at different speeds actuatedby said driving shaft, a shaft arranged near'said driving gears, a pinion splined to said shaft, and means for separately moving said pinion into .mesh with either one of said drivin gears. f

- 2. ariable speed gearing comprising a main driving shaft, a main driving gear fixed thereto, variable speed driving gears of the same pitch diameter as, the main gear and arranged in axial alinement with the same,

planetary gears to drive :saidjvariable speed gearsmm-the-main a and at different shaft arranged r said driv n gears, a pinion splined tosaid shaft,'.'and

means for moving the said pinion into mesh with either onerof said driving gears. I

3. Variable speed gearing ,comprisingl'a fixed thereto, a fixed gear s'urroundingsaid shaft above the main gear, a ring. ear'hav- 'ing inner and outer teeth" fixed'gear and spaced away from the same,

inions oarried'by the main gear and mesh mg with both the fixed gear and the interior teeth on the ring; gear, a shaftarranged near the main and ring gears, a pinion splined to I said shaft, and means for moving said pin ion into mesh with either the ring gear orthe main gear.

main driving shaft, a ma n driving gear g said "4. Variable speed gearing comprising a main driving aft, 'a main gear fixed to said shaft, two fixed gears located above and below said main gear and in axial alinement" therewith, said fixed gears being of different diameters, a ring gear having'mternal 'and external teeth surrounding each of said fixed gears'and spaced away therefrom, planetary pinions carried by the main gear and con-' nectin'ig the fixed gears andthe ring gears, a' sha arra'n ed near saidgears, 'a plnion lined-to sai shaft, and means for moving t opinion into mesh with either said main gear or either ring ear.

5. Variable spee gearing com a gear case, a main driving sha axially 1ournaled insaidgear case, a plurality of driving gears having, the same diameter.

"within said case, means for rotating said" gears at diflerent'speedsby'means of said "shaft, 'a' shaft arranged near the peripheries of said driving gears, a pinion splmedto said shaft and adapted to mesh withiany one of.

the driving gears, "a sleeve surrounding the shaft and rotatably connected to the pinion thereon and also having one end projecting through said gear case, and means for adjusting said sleeve longitudinally of the respective shaft.

6. Variable speed gearing comprising a gear case, a main driving shaft journaled in said case, a plurality of driving gears having the same diameter arranged within said case and in axial alinement with each other, means for rotating said gears at different speeds operated by said shaft, a. shaft arranged adjacent the peripheries of said gears and also having a longitudinal keyway, a pinion surrounding said shaft, a key slidable in the said keyways, said key havannular groove to receive the upper pro ection on the key said sleeve also extending outside of the gear case, and means for adjusting said sleeve and pinion in any one off 1 several positions. v

In testimonykwhereof I aflix my slgnature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDGAR W. CLEVELAND.

Witnesses:

LUTHER V. MOULTON, PALMER A. JONES. 

